


I'm the violence in the pouring rain (I'm a hurricane)

by slashfanatic22



Category: Bandom, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-08-12
Updated: 2018-07-12
Packaged: 2018-08-08 09:19:21
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7752001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/slashfanatic22/pseuds/slashfanatic22
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Childhood friends, Josh, Jenna, and Brendon, are spending their first winter vacation (without parents) up at the old cabin their families used to rent out every winter, hoping for a fun, relaxing break from their hectic university life.</p>
<p>Tyler's just trying to escape and get as far away from the institution as possible.</p>
<p>A terrible winter storm forces their paths to meet and suddenly they're entangled into a wild ride together.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> In other words I watched the whole season of Stranger Things in a day and a half and got inspiration to write something a little more dramatic, so I hope you guys like it!

     Tyler keeps running. He thinks he's lost them. Choosing to run through the thick forest covered in white snow was the right decision after all. It's dark, the middle of the night, and the trees will provide cover. Will hide him from any helicopters circling above and he's already knocked out their electronics so heat seeking and trackers won't be a problem. He just needs to keep going. 

     The snow whirls around him and it crunches under his bare feet. The thin hospital gown doesn't offer much protection from the harsh snow, but he can't even feel it anymore, too numb to register the cold or the pain. Distantly, he knows his legs are aching and tired, thighs burning from the chase, but he needs to get as far away as he can while the blizzard covers his tracks.  

     The snow is coming down so thick that he can barely see in front of him. Although, that could just be the black spots dancing in the corners of his eyes. He pushes forward, moving deeper and deeper into the forest. His lungs are burning and all he can taste is blood, but Tyler keeps  _running_.  

 

* * *

 

     "Josh, come on! It'll be fun!" Jenna whines and tugs at the arm of Josh's hoodie as he puts on his boots. Josh gives her a look, but she just pouts. 

     "Yeah, come on, dude!" Brendon's voice is loud in the tiny cabin and Josh turns around to gape at him. "It's fresh, untouched snow. Can you imagine how it'll look out there? It's gonna be incredible!" Brendon says excitedly. 

     "Am I the only one that heard that weather advisory?" Josh asks incredulously and Brendon and Jenna share a look.  

     "Don't even" Josh warns, "We've been coming up here with our families since we were little kids. You cannot tell me that you've forgotten how bad the storms can be." He says and Jenna sighs, letting go of his arm. Brendon just shrugs. 

     "You guys!" Josh says, exasperated. "The roads are barely clear from last night's storm and it's supposed to be even worse tonight." Josh says, pulling on his thick, winter coat and grabbing a pair of gloves.  

     "I'm going to get groceries so that if we lose power or the roads are too bad or whatever, we don’t starve." Josh says. "I'm sorry I have to be the responsible one and miss out on exploring the little trail we've known like the back of our hand for years." Josh says sarcastically. Brendon's jaw clenches and he turns, walking back into the kitchen.  

     Josh feels bad for a half second before he steels himself, zipping up his coat. A strong punch to his shoulder has him turning back around. He's met with a very miffed looking Jenna. "Ow." He says pointedly, rubbing at his shoulder. 

     "Yeah, well, you didn't have to be such an asshole." Jenna says, crossing her arms. "You know better than anyone how long he's been dying to get up here and take photos." She says and Josh glances towards the kitchen guiltily. 

     "I know. I just- I'm worried okay?" Josh admits, sighing. "My  _dad_  called me the other day to warn me about the storm that supposed to be coming and it freaked me out. The man never worries about anything." Josh says and Jenna nods. 

     "Yeah, I get that." She says, "But you need to…chill alright? I know you two are like brothers, but you can’t be at each other's throats all week. I'll end up killing both of you." Jenna teases, but Josh doesn't even crack a smile. "Everything is going to be fine." Jenna assures him. "The storm will come and go and then we will have the best week, relaxing and hanging out, like we've been looking forward to for months." Jenna says, poking him in the chest. 

     Josh finally smiles, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." He says and glances toward the kitchen again. "I'm gonna let him cool down. I'll say sorry when I get back. Tell him I hope he gets some good shots." Josh says, walking toward the front door and Jenna nods easily.  

     "Drive careful!" She yells to him from the doorway as Josh gets into his old, beat up car. He gives her a little half-wave and then starts the car up, making his way slowly down the icy, snow-covered road.

 

* * *

 

     The snow crunches under their boots as Brendon and Jenna walk the trail that leads into the thick forest behind the cabin. Brendon was right. It was incredible out there. Everything is still and quiet, the sky slightly overcast, and all of nature covered in a layer of bright, white snow. It’s so peaceful that Jenna almost feels bad for ruining the silence with the sound of their footsteps.

     Brendon’s had his camera out since the beginning, snapping away and waving off Jenna’s warnings that he’s going to get frostbite if he keeps taking pictures without his gloves on.

     “You’re not pissed at him right?” Jenna asks as they walk further into the forest and Brendon just rolls his eyes. “No! That was not the deal for this week.” Jenna insists. “We’re supposed to be having a family vacation and if you two are fighting the second day in-“ Jenna starts to say but Brendon cuts her off.

     “Jen! We’re not fighting.” He tells her, lowering his camera and turning towards her. “I promise, we aren’t. He’s just being…annoying.” Brendon says.

     “He’s _worried_.” Jenna says pointedly and Brendon snorts, lifting the camera to his eye again.

     “Josh is _always_ worried.” He says, snapping a couple more pictures. He can hear Jenna giggle as he focuses on a far away shot of the small creek that’s frozen over.

     “True.” Jenna says, smiling, “But, he _does_ kind of have a valid point this time. The storm we’re supposed to get looks pretty bad.” She says and Brendon sighs.

     “Yeah, I know.” Brendon says, walking closer to the creek and off the trail. They’ve explored this forest for years so he’s not worried that they’ll get lost. “I think I’d get some sweet shots if it really turns out as bad as they say it will be, though.”

     Jenna hums. “Are you gonna use them for your class next semester?” She asks distractedly, peering down at the creek. It’s frozen on top, but the water is still moving underneath it, the current too strong to be held in place by the cold. It was mesmerizing,

     “If they’re any good, yeah, I think I will.” Brendon says, shrugging. He gets lost behind his lens after that, taking photo after photo of the beauty around them. Jenna’s content to explore on her own, wandering through the forest and keeping an eye on Brendon. She doesn’t want him falling into the water or tripping over a log just for a cool photo.

     Brendon’s in his own little world behind the viewfinder of his camera. He wanders around slowly, trying to capture everything around him. The snow’s weight bending a tree’s branches to its will. The dark gray clouds that look even more ominous when compared to the pure, white snow. The back of Jenna’s head as she looks up at a tree, a lively blotch of color on such a stark white background.

     Brendon doesn’t know how long he’s been out there or how many pictures he’s taken, but his fingers are numb when he turns around and is met with a sight that makes him nearly drop his camera.

     “Whoa.” Brendon breathes. There are icicles hanging off of a tree, but not just pointing downwards. They’re pointing in every direction; up, down, sideways, diagonal; some even look as if they were coming up from the ground. They’re uneven and jagged, as if a shockwave came through and sprayed the ice into a wild pattern.

     Brendon blinks a few times, taking it all in, before lifting his camera again and snapping away madly. He ventures closer. The icicles look like they might have been really sharp at first, but they’ve started to melt a bit. The beads of water on the ice reflect the light and the forest and it looks so good on his camera that Brendon can’t not smile. He knew coming out here would be worth it.

     Brendon takes some more shots, focusing on the icicles on the ground. He can’t figure out why they formed that way, or why any of the icicles look the way they do, but it looks sweet so he just shrugs it off. He’s taking some right around the base of the tree when he sees something that makes him pause.

     Bright red dots in the snow. Brendon snaps a photo and then lowers his camera, examining more closely. There are three little, red dots in the snow. Maybe drops of blood? It had to be blood. Maybe a deer or some other animal caught itself of one of the icicles. Brendon frowns and looks around, but there isn’t any other trace of blood and there’s no sign of an injured animal anywhere. Weird.

     He raises his camera again to take another photo when a scream pierces the fragile silence around him. He looks around wildly, but Jenna’s no where in sight and his stomach drops.

     “Brendon!” Jenna screams again and Brendon takes off towards the direction of her voice, drops of blood forgotten.

 

* * *

 

     Josh is in the cereal isle. He keeps glancing between Cinnamon Toast Crunch and Waffle Crisp before he gives up and just throws both boxes in his cart. They land next to the boxes of Blueberry Toaster Strudel he’s getting for Brendon as an apology for earlier. Josh looks down at his cart. He’s probably getting too much.

     Okay, he _knows_ he’s getting too much. But the weird instrumental music and the way everyone in the store keeps looking at him like they know he’s not from around there, is setting his teeth on edge and it makes him throw whatever catches his eye into the cart, so he can get out of there quicker.

     He grabs a box of Pop Tarts and makes his way to the check out. While the cashier is ringing him up, he stares out the big, glass window. It’s starting to snow already and Josh hopes that the roads won’t be too bad on his way back.

     He pays and loads everything into the car. It’s only the afternoon but the sky is dark and scary and Josh swallows hard before he starts the car, pulling out of the parking lot. He really hopes Brendon and Jenna are back from their hike and safe and sound back at the cabin.

     The drive back isn’t too bad, but by the time he’s pulling into the cabin’s garage, it’s getting hard to see with all the snow coming down. Josh parks and gets out, taking a few bags of groceries with him as he walks into the cabin. “I may have gone a little overboard, but we definitely won’t run out of food for the week.” He says loudly, walking into the living room and he freezes.

     There’s a stranger, a young man, sleeping on the couch, all bundled up underneath a pile of blankets. Josh distantly registers Brendon poking his head into the room and Jenna rushing over and putting a finger over her lips.

     “Shh, he’s asleep!” She whispers and Josh can’t stop staring at the figure on their couch, bewildered. It’s like Josh is frozen in place. He notices that the stranger’s face is really pale, all bruised and cut up, his expression pained as he sleeps and Josh’s confusion increases exponentially.

     Josh glances up as Brendon walks fully into the room. “Oh sweet! Toaster strudel!” Brendon says, soft but excited, eyeing one of the bags Josh is carrying and it snaps Josh out of his trance.

     “Who the _fuck_ is that?!” Josh shouts.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got inspiration to work on this again since it snowed like crazy these last couple days, plus I finished my finals so I actually have free time to write

_“Who the fuck is that?!” Josh shouts._

            Tyler jolts awake, sitting up fast and his eyes search the room frantically as the storm rages outside, wind rattling the house. Some of the lights flicker. Tyler shrinks back once he sees them, pressing hard into the sofa cushions in a weak attempt to put more distance between himself and the people in the room. Jenna makes her way towards the couch slowly, hands up in a placating gesture.

            “Hey” She says softly, “You’re okay” She says and Tyler gets flashbacks of her blonde hair and her blue eyes looking worried and wild. He grimaces, shutting his eyes against the pain. His head hurts so bad.

            Jenna glances back at Brendon and Josh, both too stunned to speak, before turning back to the man. “My name is Jenna” She says, making sure to keep her voice gentle, as if talking to a frightened animal. “I told you before but…I don’t know if you remember, you were really out of it.” She says and Tyler’s eyes flutter open. She offers him a small smile.

            “I found you behind our cabin, passed out in a snowbank” Jenna continues when he doesn’t say anything. “You looked really rough and there’s a crazy storm going on right now, so we-“ She turns back to look at the guys. Tyler’s gaze flickers towards them, cold and assessing, before they flick back to Jenna. “-we brought you inside.” Jenna says.

            The man says nothing. “Um, are you hurt?” She asks and then straightens up, “Oh, we left out some water for you.” She says reaching over to take a glass off the coffee table and pushing it into Tyler’s hands. He lifts it slowly, glancing suspiciously between the three, and sniffs it before he takes a sip and the room falls away. The water is cool and sweet and he drinks like a man who’s been trapped in a desert.

            Jenna laughs a little nervously. “I can always get you more,” she offers once his glass is empty, “Or food!” She says and Tyler gives her a tiny nod, holding out the glass hesitantly.

            “Great!” Josh says sarcastically and they all look to him, “At least now we know the strange man in our living room isn’t deaf!” He says in mock-cheerfulness. He’s met with three glares, before Jenna mumbles something to the man on the sofa. Josh finds himself being ushered into the kitchen with Brendon as Jenna mutters, “Family meeting,” in a seriously pissed off voice.

            Jenna goes straight to the sink and Josh blinks, placing his bags of groceries on the counter. Brendon instantly goes for a toaster strudel, opening the box and popping one in the toaster. Once the kitchen door swings firmly shut, Jenna rounds on Josh. “Are you serious?” She asks, filling the glass with water again, and Josh’s eyes nearly bug out of his head.

            “Are _you_ serious?” He asks indignantly.

            “The man is hurt.” Jenna says and Josh barks out a laugh.

            “You don’t even know the man’s name! Much less anything else about him!” He nearly shouts, slamming his hand on the counter. Brendon clears his throat and glances towards the door. Josh takes a deep, steadying breath. “You have no idea who that is or why he was out there and you just bring him into our living room?” Josh hisses and Jenna bristles, spinning around.

            “What was I supposed to do? Just leave him in the snow to die?” She asks and Josh lets out a noise of frustration, pulling at his hair with his hands.

            “You call an ambulance, or- or the cops and have them take care of him!” Josh says and Jenna opens her mouth to retort angrily before they’re cut off by Brendon.

            “We did.” He says, looking between the two. “After me and Jenna got him out of the cold, we called the cops. They said they wouldn’t be able to make it up here until the roads cleared.” Brendon says, shrugging. “We gave them a description of him. He didn’t match any missing persons or anyone with a warrant out, so they said he was probably just some druggie who stole meds from the local drug rehab or a hospital.” He says and Josh closes his eyes, pinching between his nose.

            “So, smart guy, what do you propose we do?” Jenna says, voice smug, and Josh gives her a look.

            “We still don’t know who he is. He could be a crazy axe murderer for all we know.” Josh says and they both jump as the toaster dings. Jenna snorts.

            “Yeah, the guy who was terrified at just the sight of us when he woke up is real dangerous. Totally the ‘crazy axe murderer’ type.” She says sarcastically and Josh glares at her.

            “Jenna,“ He says warningly, “We don’t know anything about this guy. I think I’m allowed to be concerned that he could be dangerous.” Josh says and Brendon hums.

            “He’s got a point, Jen” Brendon says, putting the icing on his pastry, “We still don’t even know the guy’s name.” He says and Jenna stares at them hard for a long moment.

            “Fine.” She says, walking over and plucking the plate with Brendon’s strudel out of his hands.

            “Hey! What the fuck?” He says, throwing his hands up. Jenna doesn’t even acknowledge him, just pushes past Josh and out the door, back into the living room.

            Tyler tenses on the couch, leaning away as Jenna makes her way back over to him. Tyler’s stomach rumbles loudly and his mouth waters at the smell of food and Jenna holds the plate out in front of him, just out of reach.

            “Here’s the deal” Jenna says, “You can have this warm, gooey mountain of sugar _if_ you tell me your name.” She says firmly, looking straight into his eyes. His gaze flicks between her and the warm pastry, not showing an ounce of emotion. Jenna’s shoulders sag a little.

            “Please?” She asks, voice soft, “It’s just your name.” She says. The man stares at her hard before his stomach rumbles again and his eyes move over to the food. He frowns and closes his eyes, swallowing hard.

            “Tyler” He croaks out, eyes opening to look at her again, “My name is Tyler.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> just a short little chapter, I know. The next one will be much more involved!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> so...in an attempt to use reverse psychology on myself, I might not post for a couple months (hopefully this works and I can update all the time)
> 
> anyways, sorry this is so late. adult life is busy and stupid.

_Tyler_ is a menace as far as Josh is concerned.  

          The guy practically inhaled Brendon's toaster strudel and now he's wolfing down his _second_ PB &J sandwich that Jenna made for him. She keeps trying to ask him questions but Tyler keeps evading them, replying to her with one word answers. _No_ , he doesn't know what hospital he's from. _No_ , he's not a criminal or a druggie. _No_ , he doesn't remember where he was going or what he was doing out in the snow. _No_ , he doesn't know _anything_ about _anything_. 

          As if that wasn't already frustrating enough, he's also wearing one of Josh's favorite hoodies. Although, that one isn't Tyler's fault. Jenna and Brendon had put it on him after they stripped him out of his frozen hospital gown. The hoodie is big and warm and Jenna likes to steal it when they get in from the cold, so it makes sense that they put Tyler in it. Still, Josh doesn't like it being on him. 

          "You really don’t remember anything from the last couple days?" Jenna asks, frowning at Tyler in concern. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and then shakes his head. 

          "No. Sorry" He says quietly. He shifts on the couch and winces. Jenna blinks. 

          "Are you okay? I can get you some pain pills if you need-" She starts to say but Tyler cuts her off. 

          "No!" He says loudly, eyes wide and panicked, before he seems to shrink back into himself. He clears his throat. "No pills. Thanks." He says, quieter. Jenna turns towards Josh, who shakes his head when he sees the look in her eyes. She turns back to Tyler. 

          "Well, if you're hurting, Josh is in training to be an EMT." She tells him. 

          "Jenna!" Josh hisses. She ignores him. 

          "I know your leg was cut up pretty bad. Me and Brendon just bandaged it real quick, so if it hurts, Josh could look at it. He can probably do a better job" Jenna says and Brendon nods behind her. Josh glares at the back of Jenna's head before glancing up at Tyler. The guy is staring at him- assessing him- and Josh glares at him right back until he notices that Tyler has his thigh in a death grip. 

          Josh lets out a put-upon sigh and gets up from the armchair he was sitting in. "Hold on. I'll see if we have bandages in the first aid still" He mutters as he walks to the bathroom. Jenna and Brendon share a look and then Jenna turns around to smile at Tyler. 

          "He's really a good guy" She whispers, "He's just been bitchy lately" She says and Tyler blinks at her before he glances in the direction Josh disappeared, looking lost in thought.

* * *

 

          Tyler rucks his _borrowed_ sweatpants up just enough so Josh can see at the haphazard bandage secured above and around Tyler's knee. Little dots of red can be seen through the white gauze and the area around it already looks bruised, angry shades of red and purple contrasting the stark white. He glances up at Tyler, who's looking at the contents of the first aid kit that's been spilled out onto the couch, and feels kind of bad for the guy. What ever happened to him had to of hurt. 

          Jenna and Brendon are still in the room, but they've turned on the TV in an attempt to make it seem like they're not gawking at Tyler. Josh knows they're glancing over every few seconds anyway. He rolls his eyes, resisting the urge to tell them to just come over and watch, and carefully peels away the tape holding the bandage in place.  

          It's not one cut or gash like he had assumed. There are multiple thin, but deep scratches above his knee that wrap around to a deep, jagged puncture in the side of his thigh. Josh frowns. 

          "Did you get stabbed or something?" He asks, looking up at Tyler, who stares down at him intensely. Tyler shakes his head minutely. Josh hums and looks back at the wound. "Are you sure you don't want to take anything? I mean, this has to hurt" He asks. 

          "No" Tyler says softly. His hands are clenched by his sides and he's sitting stiffly with his back perfectly straight.  

          "Right" Josh mutters and looks through the stuff on the couch. "The best I can do is put some numbing stuff on it and bandage it up tight" He says, grabbing a little tube. "Because _some people_ don't know what they're doing" Josh says louder, glancing over at the other two. Brendon flicks him off. Josh winks at him before he turns back to Tyler, who's looking at him again, head tilted in curiosity. Josh rolls his shoulders, ignoring the stare, and gently dabs some of the numbing cream over the cuts. Tyler hisses in pain.  

          "Sorry" Josh mutters, trying to apply it with even greater care. Once he's done, he unwraps a fresh bandage and tapes it securely to Tyler's leg, making sure to wrap it afterwards so it won't move. "You're all set" He says, reaching up to roll Tyler's pants back down carefully.  

          "Thanks" Tyler says quietly once Josh sits back. Josh looks at him and, for a split second, Josh could swear the man is blushing. Tyler clears his throat and Josh looks away, moving on to pack the first aid kit back up. 

          Josh stands up once everything is cleaned up and then hesitates, hovering near the end of the couch. "Um, if you need the bandage changed again, just tell me and I'll help you out" He says and waits for Tyler to stare up at him for a few moments and give him a small nod before he leaves the room again. Tyler stares at the spot Josh was.  

          "I told you so" Jenna calls to him, smiling wide when Tyler looks over to her. "So, what do you want to watch?" She asks, nodding towards the TV. Tyler gives her a blank look and before he knows it, Jenna and Brendon are both talking loudly, arguing over what Tyler would like best.  

          Josh joins in when he returns from the bathroom and they decide on some action movie that has a lot of explosions. Josh doesn't pay much attention to it, glancing at Tyler every so often, until Tyler's fast asleep.  

          The movie ends unspectacularly and they, quietly, decide to go to bed. After saying goodnight, Josh heads upstairs and strips out of his clothes, trying not to think about how crazy the day has been. He flops onto the bed and falls asleep to the sound of wind howling past his window.

* * *

 

          The next morning, Josh wakes up slowly. He stretches as the bright morning sunlight filters through his window, goosebumps rising on his bare skin in the chilly air. He rubs the sleep from his eyes. Josh glances out the window as he tugs on a hoodie and gets a sinking sensation in his belly. 

          There must be at least a foot of new snow on the ground from the storm, white and pristine in the morning sun. It's absolutely beautiful and absolutely a sign that the police won't be able to make it up here today. He sighs and heads downstairs. 

          Josh crosses through the living room quietly, bare feet padding against the carpet. Tyler is still asleep on the couch, bundled up under the blankets. He looks less pale then before. Josh stares at him for a few moments, taking in the high cheekbones and plush lips, before he snaps himself out of it. He needs coffee. 

          Brendon's already in the kitchen. He's talking to someone on his cell phone and nods at Josh when he enters. Josh nods back and makes a beeline to the coffee pot which is, thankfully, still almost full. He pours himself a cup before he sits next to all of Brendon's camera stuff on the table. He must have been up early, taking pictures of the new snow. Josh dumps some sugar in his mug and zones out, tuning in to snatches of Brendon's conversation.  

          "Okay. Thanks, I- Oh. Y-Yeah, I mean, if you want- Yeah, I'd like that. Okay. Bye" Brendon sighs as he hangs up the phone. Josh raises an eyebrow as he sips his coffee. 

          "That was the police station. They won't be able to make it up today. The roads are too bad." Brendon tells him and Josh huffs out a laugh.  

          "I'm so surprised" He drawls out and Brendon snorts.  

          "Right?" He says, glancing out the window. Snow is getting kicked up by the wind, making the outline of the forest misty. He reaches for his camera, putting his eye up to the viewfinder and snapping away. Josh starts to relax. _This_ is his normal. Unlike the past twenty four hours, him and Brendon sharing a comfortable silence is nice and familiar. 

          Josh makes significant progress on his cup of coffee before Brendon puts down the camera again. "Any good ones?" Josh asks. Brendon shrugs. 

          "I don't know, maybe. I got some good ones yesterday on the trail." Brendon says and Josh nods. 

          "Maybe we could-" Josh starts to say but pauses when there's a clicking sound and then they're thrown into darkness. The green numbers on the coffeemaker have stopped glowing and the clock on the oven is blank. 

          "Great" Brendon says, "The power is out." 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if anyone is still reading this, please give me some feedback! suggestions and guessing and yelling at me to write more is 100% welcome :)
> 
> hope you liked it!


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ...so...  
>  I'm sorry.
> 
> adult life is stupid and keeps me from writing, but I haven't given up on this or any of my other WIPs 
> 
> I really hope you haven't either

 

          Tyler wakes up to a gray room. The only light is coming from the sun streaming in through the window, and something immediately feels off. He rubs the sleep from his eyes and quickly rolls off the couch. His leg still hurts, but his head is better. The house is quiet. He can hear the wind whistling outside and everything seems too dark. No hum of static in the background. He limps, barefoot, into the kitchen and spots a familiar head of blonde hair, standing outside on the deck.

          Jenna jumps and clutches her chest when Tyler opens the sliding door.  “Jesus Christ, don’t sneak up on me like that!” She says, heart still racing in her chest, as she turns towards him. He looks better, not great, but better than before. Something in her _knows_ , despite all of Josh’s concerns, that she did the right thing taking Tyler in.

          “Sorry” He says quietly and looks out into the snow, surveying the land carefully. Jenna studies him, trying to be subtle as she takes sips from her coffee mug.

          “Aren’t you cold?” She finally asks, “You don’t even have shoes on” She says, but Tyler all but ignores her. He can see two figures in the distance, an image that makes his heart stop, before he registers the too bright winter jackets and floppy hats.

          “We lost power” Jenna tells him, breaking the silence between them again. She follows his gaze out to the two figures. “The two ' _manly men_ ' decided they could fix it, but I think they’ve just resorted to kicking the electrical box now” She says jokingly, but Tyler just blinks, eyes glued to Josh and Brendon as they start walking back to the cottage, and Jenna suppresses a sigh.

          “What happened to ‘don’t worry, we can fix it’?!” She calls out once they’re near the stairs to the deck.

          “Fuck off” Brendon pants, climbing up as Josh shakes his head behind him. 

          “Either a power line got knocked down somewhere or the wiring back there is too rusted over and corroded” He says, making his way up the stairs. “There’s nothing we can do” He’s surprised to see Tyler, but he guesses he shouldn’t be- it must be after 10 now. Brendon drapes himself dramatically over the ledge of the deck. 

          “This sucks” He whines and Josh grunts in agreement, hovering awkwardly next to Tyler, who doesn’t seem to notice. Jenna taps nervously on her coffee cup.

          “What are we gonna do?” She asks, “We won’t have any heat!” She says and Josh bites his lip. 

          “There’s a fireplace” He offers, “It’s small, but it should keep the living room warm enough” He says and Brendon scoffs, straightening back up from his perch.

          “We didn’t buy any firewood” He reminds Josh. Josh winces. He knew he had forgotten _something_ when he was in a rush to get out of the store yesterday. 

          “And what about food?” Jenna pipes up, “If we don’t have power, we can’t cook!” She says, starting to look panicked. 

          “Jen, the stovetop is gas, remember? We’ll be able to cook and boil water and all of that” Josh says, trying to calm her down and reason with himself at the same time. 

          “Yeah!” Brendon says, “And we won’t even have to worry about the food in the fridge going bad because it will be already be so cold in the house that we’ll freeze to death!” Brendon says all mockingly cheerful and Josh glares at him.

          “You’re not helping” He says and Brendon lets out a hollow laugh.

          “It’s the truth! And we can’t even leave because the roads are still all fucked up from the storm!” He says and both Josh and Jenna suck in a breath. Brendon looks between them for a few seconds before his demeanor slips and he chews on his thumbnail. “What are we gonna do, Joshie?” He asks. Josh’s heart hammers in his chest and his stomach twists. He doesn’t _know_. 

          “We’ll figure something out” Josh says weakly.

          “I can fix it” Tyler says, as calm as ever, voice breaking through the worried tension with ease. They all look at him, disbelief in their faces.

          “You?” Josh asks, incredulously, as Jenna and Brendon exchange concerned looks. “Did you not hear what I said? The wires are too corroded-” Josh starts to say, but Tyler talks over him.

          “I can fix it” He repeats, looking Josh in the eye, like it’s a challenge, and Josh doesn’t back down, staring right back.

          “It’s worth a shot, right J?” Jenna says, hesitantly, after a few moments and Josh breaks their staring contest to look at her. “It can’t hurt” She says and her eyes are still wide and panicked. Josh swallows.

          “I guess” He sighs and as soon as the words leave his mouth, Tyler is stepping around them towards the stairs. 

          “Tyler!” Jenna says suddenly, “At least put on some shoes before you go out there!” She says, going back into the house to find some for him as the man looks down at his bare feet, expressionless.

          “Yeah, dude, you’ll get frostbite if you go out there without shoes or anything” Brendon says, “Aren’t you cold?” He asks and Tyler just shrugs, glancing up at Josh before looking out towards the woods again. Josh watches him out of the corner of his eye. He still doesn’t know what to make of the man.

          “I’ll go with him” Josh says, once Tyler has some old boots of Brendon’s on his feet and Jenna’s red beanie on his head. “Make sure nothing happens” Josh explains as Jenna and Brendon both look at him, surprised. Tyler just blinks at him before he nods slightly and makes his way down the stairs. Josh follows, having to trudge as quickly as he can through the snow to keep up with Tyler.

          “Good luck!” Jenna calls out after them and Josh waves to her before shoving his hands into his the pockets of his jacket, the only other sound is the crunching of the snow underneath their boots. It’s freezing and the wind is bitterly cold where it hits his face, but Tyler seems perfectly fine stomping through the snow in just Josh’s hoodie. 

          They make it to the electrical box and Josh busies himself with prying the latch open again. He’s shivering by the time he finally gets it open but when he glances up at Tyler, the man is completely calm beside him. Or maybe calm is the wrong word. Tyler isn’t shivering-isn’t showing an outward reaction at all really- but he’s standing on guard and surveying the land around him. His eyes sweeping the area slowly like a watchdog. Josh shoves his hands in his pockets again and clears his throat.

          “It’s all yours-” He says, watching the brown eyes flick over to him briefly, “-but, like I said, I don’t think there’s much you can do” Josh says, stepping back as Tyler moves closer. He looks at it for a bit, taking in all the metal components and wiring, before he ducks his head down, peering at something closely on the inside. Josh shivers beside him and glances around, trying to see whatever Tyler was watching so intently earlier, when a shower of orange-gold sparks fly out of the electrical box and Josh grabs Tyler by the hoodie and tugs him back on instinct. Tyler twists out of his grip lightening fast, looking on edge before he relaxes again, but Josh doesn’t even notice.

          “Are you okay? What did you do?” He asks, heart racing in his chest. Tyler shrugs. Josh waits for an answer that doesn’t come and just when he’s about to ask again, he notices the dull humming coming from the electrical box again. He whips around and, sure enough, the deck light is on and he can hear Brendon and Jenna in the distance. The sound of metal has him turning back around slowly, gaping at Tyler as the man closes the box and does up the latch.

          “What did- _How_ did you do that?” Josh asks, dumbfounded. Tyler looks at him for a second before he shrugs again and starts walking back towards the house.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow...so this is still a thing, eh?

     “How did you guys do that!?” Jenna asks excitedly as Josh and Tyler climb back up the steps. Josh’s gaze slides over to Tyler, but the man stays as silent as ever. Brendon is talking to someone on the phone inside the cabin, arms moving animatedly. Josh rubs the back of his neck. Tyler’s been quiet the whole walk back and it just confuses Josh even more.

     “I don’t know” He admits, “Thank Tyler. He’s the one who fixed it” Josh says. Jenna makes a happy noise and practically jumps on the other man, hugging him tight. Tyler goes completely still, brown eyes wide like a deer in headlights. Josh clears his throat, suppressing a laugh. It’s the first time the other man had really shown any emotion.

     “Sorry, sorry!” Jenna says, letting Tyler go, “You’re still hurt and stuff, so I probably shouldn’t hug so tight but like... Thank you.” She says sincerely. Tyler just blinks at her, an unreadable expression on his face. 

     “Well,” She says, keenly aware of the awkward silence, “Now that we’re not going to freeze to death, we should probably go back inside. Maybe we can put a movie on or something and have lunch” Jenna says as she spins around, opening the sliding door. Josh follows, glancing back when he realizes Tyler isn’t behind them.

     Instead, he’s leaning against the deck railing, rubbing his temples. Tiny snowflakes are falling around him gently in an almost cylindrical pattern and Josh can’t help but stare.

     “He’s pretty cute, huh?” Jenna whispers, breath warm on his ear and he starts, looking away from Tyler to glare at her.

     “Shut up” He says, refusing to crack a smile and failing. Jenna’s face lights up. 

     “I knew it!” She says excitedly. Josh feels warm and strange and he tries to tell himself it’s because he just came in from the blistering cold.

     “No-” Josh says, giving her a look and glancing out the window again, “- and shut  _ up _ . He’s coming back in.” He says, backing away from the doorframe. Tyler steps through the door and looks between them curiously before he slides the door closed with a soft thud. 

     A few hours pass and they’re all piled into the living room, watching TV. Josh and Brendon relegated to the floor after Jenna laid claim to the armchair. She also insisted that the injured Tyler lay on the couch. Josh wanted to protest but Jenna threw some pillows at him before he could even open his mouth. Whatever. It’s still warm and cozy and they had just finished lunch so Josh is almost ready to take a nap.

     Just as he’s about to doze off, Jenna’s soft giggles jolt him back into awareness. He looks behind to her and she makes eye contact with him before pointing at the couch. Tyler is fast asleep, body completely sprawled out on the sofa. 

     “You think he’s tired?” She jokes quietly, glancing at the sleeping form again, “He’ll sleep more than Brendon at this rate” She says.

     “Hey!” Brendon retorts, mock offended, and Josh shakes his head fondly at the two.

     “I’m sure he will. His leg is pretty messed up- it has to hurt and make him tired faster.” Josh says, “Plus, we _still_ don’t know how he got here” He points out.

     “Yeah, yeah. Just watch the movie.” Brendon teases and Josh makes a face at him before he twists back around. He settles into one of the pillows again, but now he’s restless, the possibilities of Tyler’s story gnawing at the back of his mind. 

 

* * *

 

     Everything is white. Cold and clinical too, but Tyler had never noticed that part. Just all the white. He’s dressed like he is most days, plain white t-shirt and white linen pants. White sneakers. Just like everyone else. The Institution likes it that way.

     He’s in the dining hall waiting for Mark. A couple other people are scattered about, but no one is really talking save for a girl with orange hair who’s talking quietly with a guy who has a white band around his neck. Tyler picks at his food.

     “Tyler!” A voice makes him look up and Mark is there, smile on his face as he sits down with his own tray. “Training went way longer than expected, so sorry I’m late.” Mark says, digging into his lunch. Tyler gives him a small smile, eyes flicking up towards the tell-tale little red marks on the side of his head. 

     “It’s okay.” He says and Mark nods. 

     “Yeah, but we always have lunch together.” Mark says and Tyler blinks at him. That’s true. Since before he can remember, he and Mark have spent meal times together. It’s the only time they see each other- see any of the others for that matter- and it’s become almost a ritual at this point. 

     They eat in silence for a little before Mark glances at the guards stationed at the door. “Did you hear someone almost got past the wall?” He whispers and Tyler’s eyes flick towards the guards before settling on Mark. The air becomes thick. Mark takes a couple more bites before he speaks again. 

     “I overheard during Training” He says quietly, “I think they used-” Mark starts to say before a scream cuts him off. Their heads quip around to see the girl with orange hair standing.

     “What did they do?!” She yells, eyes desperately seeking for something, but the boy sitting next to her doesn’t respond. He won’t even look at her. 

     Tyler’s leg spasms, an electrical current shaking through his spine and making his vision cloudy. He feels dizzy and weak. He can’t move. He can’t even think straight.

     Guards are rushing her now, pulling her back as she kicks out. #11209- Hayley, Tyler’s fuzzy brain supplies him with. She’s yelling something but he can’t comprehend it. The guards have a hold on her now, two of them carrying her away as she still fights, tooth and nail, to get away.

     “-using you!” She screams. Her eyes are burning into his but he  _ can’t move _ . “Wake up!” She screams, “They’re using all of you! WAKE UP!”

 

* * *

 

Tyler’s eyes fly open as he sits up with a gasp. He’s covered in cold sweat and he can hear Hayley’s screams still echoing in his head. The empty living room is a warm yellow thanks to the setting sun. Tyler looks around, trying to catch his breath, when his stomach drops. A book on the coffee table is levitating.

 

     Everything.

 

     In the room. 

 

     Is  _ levitating _ .

 

“Woah.” An awed voice behind Tyler makes everything crash to the ground.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TOP is back y'all and so am I (maybe)
> 
> @peachypunk22 on tumblr


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